Herbeet e



(No'ModeL) H. E. RIDER. ENVELOP OPENING APPARATUS.-

No. 594,650. Patented Nov. 30, 1897.

UNITED STATES HERBERT E. RIDER,

PATENT OF ICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO OELINDA P. ROBINSON, OF SAMEPLACE.

ENVELOP-OPENING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,650, dated November30, 1897.

Application filed July 1'7, 1896. Serial No. 599,486. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. RIDER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, county and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelop OpeningApparatus, of which the following is a speci-- form is provided adaptedto be moved by contact of the envelop therewith, and a shearing orcutting device operates in proximity to said platform and is adapted toshear or cut a narrow strip from an envelop in contact with saidplatform, and a motor is constructed to actuate said shearing device tocut or shear the strip from the end of the envelop,and this motor is setinto action by the movement of said platform. The-mechanism is designedto perform a single cutting or shearing operation for every actuation ofthe movable platform, and to that end is so constructed that the movableplatform returns to normal position upon being relieved of the pressureof. the envelop, as by the cutting off of the end of the envelop, andthe return of the platform to normal position puts the mechanism inposition to check the movement of the shearing or cutting device uponthe completion of an operation thereof.

My invention includes various improvements in construction, all of whichwill now be fully described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

\ The drawings represent an envelop-opening apparatus embodying myinvention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 shows avertical longitudinal central section of the casing with the interiormechanism in full. Fig. 3 is a "any suitable shape.

transverse vertical section of the apparatus on the line 3 3, Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a detached plan view of a portion of the cutters.

The various working parts are shown as inclosed within a casing or boxa, said casing or box being adapted to rest upon a fiat sur face, as ofa desk or table. As shown, this casing is open at the bottom, but it mayof course be closed, and the sides of the casing are inclined upward andinward, and the casing has a fiat top, but may of course be of The flattop of the casing has a slit or opening a formed therein, said slit oropening being of sufiicient width and length to permit the entrance ofthe end of an envelop therein, but preferably to prevent any possibilityof injury to the user, not being wide enough to admit the fingers of theuser.

The cutters or knives are arranged so as to act upon an envelop insertedthrough the slit or opening a, and in the construction shown one ofthese cutters is fixed and the other movable, the fixed cutter 6 beingshown as part of a frame a, secured at the under surface'of the toppiece of the casing a, said frame providing bearin gs for the severaloperating-shafts to be hereinafter described, and the movable cutter (1is shown as held in a pivoted swinging frame,comprising a rock-shafte,having bearings in said fixed frame 0, said rock-shaft havingupwardly-extending arms 6 carrying said cutter and adownwardly-extending actuating-arm (2 shown as carrying a roller eactuated by a cam, as will be hereinafter described. The fixed frame cisshown as comprising a horizontal portion held against the lower face ofthe top plate of the casing a and of two vertical portions extendingdownwardly therefrom at either end thereof. The cutting 0 edge or cutterb is shown as formed upon the horizontal portion of the frame 0, but maybe a separate piece attached thereto, if desired. The movable cutter disshown as secured by screws to the upwardly-extending arms 6 of thepivoted frame, but may be formed integrally with said arms, if desired.The two cutting edges are shown arranged so as to approach each other atan inclination, so that the shearing or cutting action is con- I00centrated upon one point at a time, said outting-point rapidly movingfrom end to end of the article acted upon, and thus a gradual shearingaction is obtained.

For the actuation of the cutting edges I provide a motor, shown as acoiled spring or clock-spring said coiled spring secured to the frameand to a winding-shaft f and said winding-shaft f having apawl-and-ratchet connection with a gear-wheel g and said gearwheel gmeshing into a pinion g on a shaft h,

fitted to rotate in bearings in the frame 0, whereby the spring as itunwinds causes said shaft h to rotate.

The construction and operation of spring-motors are well understood, andthe construe tion here shown need not be particularly described, and itis of course evidentthat springmotors of other construction than thatshown and thatother motors than spring-motors may be employed.

The effect of the motor connection of the 1 shafth is to continuallytend to rotate said shaft h, and this tendency is normally 'restrainedand the shaft thus normally held at rest by adetent 2', shown as securedupon said shaft 7; and bearing against a trip-lever j, and thistrip-lever j is connected to a movable at the other endby a light springZ, said spring Z surrounding a fixed pin Z, which forms a stop to thedownward movementof the platform It.

The springZ is a yielding device which tends to hold the movableplatformin its upper position, as shown, but when the end'of an envelop isinserted through the slit (1 and is pressed downward upon the movableplatform this platform is moved to lower position, compressing thespr'ingZ and coming to rest against thestop Z. When the envelop has thusmoved the platform is downward and is in contact with said platform, anarrow portion of the end of the envelop lies between said platform andthe line of cu-t and it is now onlynecessary to actuate the cutters toinsure the cutting off of this narrow strip.

The trip-lever 9' above referred to is shown as pivotally connectedatits upper end to'a lug extending downwardly from'the movable platformkand'as guided at'its lower end by passing through an opening in abracket, said bracket extending downwardly from the top plate ofthe'casing. p

The trip-leverj is provided with notches in its edges,"so formed thatwhen the tripleverisin lower position, to whichposition it is moved bythe depression of the movable The end of r the winding- 1 shaft f of theclock-spring f is shown as: squared for engagement with a winding-key.

platform 70, resulting from the contact of an envelop with saidplatform, said trip-lever permits the detent t and the shaft h, to whichsaid detent is secured, to freely rotate without interference from saidtrip-lever, but when said trip-'lever is in normal upper position, asshown, said detent is held by the triplever in the position shown, or ifthe detent is in motion the detent is stopped when it reaches the pointin its revolution at which it isshown. Thus the depression of themovable platform 70 causes the detent to be re leased, and therebypermits the detent and its shaft h to be actuated by the motor or setsthe motor into action, and the detent and shaft having been thusreleased will move freely and rapidly through one revolution withoutrestraint by the trip-lever, but will be stopped at the completion ofone revolution if before or at the completion of such revolution theplatform 70 and trip-lever have returned to normal positions. I

The actuation of the movable cutting edge 'or cutter d thr'ough therotation of the shaft h is accomplished by the cam n, secured uponcam-roller e fitted to rotate freelyon a pin projecting from thedownwardly-extending arm 6 of the pivoted frame carrying said movablecutter d. The cam-roller e is held against "the surface of said cam n bya suit able retracting device, such as the spring 0, shown as encirclingthe rock-shaft eat the le'ft-hand-end of said shaft and secured at oneend to the frame 0 and hearing at the other end against one of theupwardly-extending arms 0 of said rock-shaft e. During one completerotation of the shaft h the cam n will cause the movable cutter cl tomove in shearing contact with the fixed cutter Z) to perform onecomplete shearing or cutting operation and will permit the spring c toreturn said movable cutter to the normal position shownin the drawings.A-cushion or buffer m is shown as securedupon thebracket m inposi-"tionto receive the impact of the movable cutter when the cutter re'turns'tonormal position, and thus to prevent undue noise from "the operation ofthe apparatus, but this buffer may be omitted, if desired. It is ofcourse evident that other actuating means 'than'the cam shown may beemployed for causing the rotative movement of the shaft h to actuate themovablecutter within the purview of my invention, but the means abovedescribed insure an effective and-rapid operation. k

The operation of my improved apparatus will be readily understood.Normally EtHzPELItS are atr'est; butthe motor if wound or chargedcontinually tends to actuate the apparatus.

When the end of an envelop is inserted through the slit 0. and presseddownward upon the'mova'ble,platform k, the downward movement of theplatform actuates the trip-lever j to release the detent '11, and thuspermits the motor to rotatethe shaft h, and the cam 41. on

said shaft h, and against which cam works a the shaft h actuates thepivoted frame carrying the movable cutter d and causes one completeshearing operation of the cutters, as above described, and when thenarrow strip is severed or cut off from the end of the envelop thisnarrow strip is also pushed in front of the movable cutter d, and anapron or guide p may be provided to prevent these cuttings from fallingupon the working parts, and at the completion of the shearing operationthe portion of the end of the envelop which was in contact with themovable platform has been removed from above said platform and saidplatform has been permitted to return to normal position, and thetrip-lever j is in position to stop the detent at the completion of onerevolution of the detent and cam.

The operation of the cutters is practically instantaneous, and thecutting operation is completed within the first half-revolution of theshaft h, and the cutter returns to normal position during the secondhalf-revolution of the shaft h. Thus the operation of cutting oi the endof the envelop is performed auto matically and takes place at once uponthe depression of the movable platform is, and the sides of the envelopsmay ,be cut off as rapidly as they are inserted through the slit a.

It is evident that various modifications may be made in the constructionabove particularly described, and shown in the drawings. I do not,therefore, limit my invention to such specific constructiong but What Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In an apparatus for opening envelops, the combination with the casing athaving the opening a therein adapted to receive the end of an envelop,of the pivoted movable platform k, and sustaining-sprin g Z and stop Z,the fixed cutting edge I), the rock-shaft e, carrying the movablecutting edge 01, and spring 0 tending to hold said rock-shaft in normalposition, the shaft 72 actuated by a motor and provided with a detent2', the trip-lever j connected to the movable platform is, and the cam non the shaft h, said cam actuating the rock-shaft e and movable knifecarried by said rockshaft, substantially as set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 14th day of July, A. D. 1896.

-' HERBERT E. RIDER.

Witnesses:

HENRY D. WILLIAMS, ELLA J. KRUGER.

